Victoria Cross
by Double Helix Nebula
Summary: You are 'Viper', a US Army Ranger fresh from Ranger School and pulled into the UN-backed Joint Task Force 7 in Fireteam Overwatch led by SAS operator "Tracer" who takes you through your first mission. No one said life in SOF would be easy. Full summary inside. Modern AU
1. Arrival

Summary: Fresh out of Ranger School, you are "Viper", the newest addition to the multinational Joint Task Force 7, Fireteam Overwatch. Lead by outspoken British SAS grenadier "Tracer" and consisting of hardened French GIGN sniper "Widowmaker" and optimistic Japanese SFG automatic rifleman "Genji", you, a designated marksman from the 75th Ranger Regiment, are pulled into the team per request of Tracer, who had watched you during training and was impressed by your marksmanship skills and ability to cope under pressure. This comes after the loss of her former DM, a fellow British SAS operator. Being thrown into the fire only weeks after your graduation from Ranger School, your nerves and abilities will be tested in the field but don't worry; Tracer has your 6.

"Viper" can be you or your own character. I'm staying gender-neutral for obvious reasons.

* * *

One minute you were asleep on the plane, the next you were being kicked awake by the pilot. You were the last one to get off. You stand up and then leave the plane and are approached by the base commander. You stand up straight and salute him. He returns salute.

"Glad you could make it, Viper." the commander tells you, "Come with me. You team is waiting for you."

You nod your head and follow the base commander until you two arrive at a hangar a few hundred metres away from the plane. He then points and motions you to go inside and you nod your head once again. You walk into the hangar and see a group of three talking to each other in a circle. You make your way over to them and then stand in front of them, saluting them. They turn to face you and one of them returns salute.

"You must be Viper. I'm Tracer. I'm sure they've already told you about me."

You nod your head in affirmation. You're a little surprised that Tracer was a rather short British woman because you figured that she was a burly man from the way your superiors described her and her feats to you. Nevertheless, you finally had a face to the name. It helped that she was rather cute. The taller raven-haired woman clicked her tongue and looks you up and down in disgust.

"Who is this amateur?" she spat, her voice having a heavy French accent.

Tracer turned and looked at her.

"Take it easy, Widow. This is Viper, our new DM." Tracer said, "Viper, this is Widowmaker, our crackshot of a sniper."

You extend your hand out to shake her's, but she just looks at your hand and then back at you and makes a disgusted face. You slowly and awkwardly retract your hand.

"Crackshot in more ways than one, though." Tracer adds, giving Widowmaker a hard look, "Half the time, I don't know if she's better at running her rifle or her mouth."

Widowmaker scoffed in response. Tracer shook her head and then looked at Genji and pointed at him.

"And that there's Genji. He's our auto rifleman and unofficially, our resident ninja."

Genji extended out his hand and you reach out and shake. Genji is much more pleasant that Widowmaker.

"Nice to meet you, Viper. I'm Genji." he says to you, his voice laced with a Japanese accent.

"It's not his real name, though." Tracer added on.

"It's kind of like the Japanese equivalent of 'Smith', or something like that." Genji explains.

You nod your head in understanding.

"Who is this, anyway? How come I have never heard of this 'Viper'?" Widowmaker asked.

"Viper is fresh out of US Army Ranger School…" Tracer was cut off.

"An amateur?!" Widowmaker said incredulously, "What has gotten into you?! Viper is a liability to us!"

"Cool it, Widow. I've been tracking Viper's progress through Ranger School and personally made the request that Viper be brought on board. Scores were exceptional." Tracer explained to Widowmaker.

"Bringing on someone who has never seen combat will only serve to hinder us, if not get them killed or even worse, us killed!"

"Well it's not like you have much of a say here, Widow. Viper's our new DM whether you like it or not so you'd better learn to get along." Tracer shot firmly.

"I do not approve of this complete amateur being on our team!"

"Then you can find another team to be part of, or go back home."

"Maybe I will!"

"You do that." Tracer said, "But until then, you're on this team, so cool it."

Widowmaker crossed her arms and muttered in French under her breath about her dissatisfaction with the situation. Tracer then turned to face all three of you.

"I have to go and attend one final briefing before we take off at 0300 hours. Genji, take Viper to get kitted up. Widow, make your final preps. We meet outside in 30 at 0300 sharp. Dismissed."

Genji and Widowmaker nodded their heads. Widowmaker and Tracer went their ways while Genji turns to you and motions you to follow, which you do. The initial moments between you two are relatively silent until Genji breaks it.

"Hey, don't let Widowmaker get to you. She's just...had some difficult times, is all." he says to you.

You look at him and raise an eyebrow.

"Believe it or not, she's actually a good person. She'd give her life for any one of us and just wants the best; she just has a unique way of expressing it." Genji added on.

You scoff at that, not really believing him.

"No, I'm serious. You'll have to ask her why she is the way she is since it wouldn't be right for me to tell you. Once she tells you, you'll understand." he tells you, "But don't bother asking right now. She doesn't trust you enough to do her laundry, much less to tell you about her past that brought her to this point."

You two turn a corner and Genji continues.

"You'll have to go on a few deployments with her first and prove your worth. You do that, she'll warm up to you." he says, "I'm honoured to have Widowmaker on our team. I would want no other sniper. I think Tracer will tell you the same. You'll understand why that is very soon."

You bob your head side to side in contemplation.

"As for the whole 'rivalry' between Widowmaker and Tracer...well...that's how it's always been. Both of them are pretty headstrong, perhaps from the fact that both were pulled from their nation's most elite units, so they tend to clash a lot. But we're family at the end of the day; any one of us would lay our lives down for the others no questions asked. She's just worried that you won't integrate and/or do the same for us."

You slowly nod your head, beginning to understand.

"I don't know if you were told this, but we lost our former DM, Ace. He was another from SAS. He was well-liked by all of us so when we lost him, we wondered if we even wanted to get another DM since we didn't know if we could find one that would fit in. We didn't for a while, we just went on, just us three. But we all knew we needed one more person." Genji explained, "So if Tracer pulled you on, then she saw something in you. And I trust her judgement. Widowmaker, on the other hand, will take some convincing."

You two stop in front of a steel door with a viewing slot and then Genji banged on it a few times. The person on the other side slid the view port open and looked out. Genji looked at him.

"It's me."

They shut the viewport and then opened the door.

"Genji." he said, nodding his head at him.

He then turned his attention to you.

"And you must be that FNG Tracer was talking about. Viper, was it?"

You nod your head. He extended his hand out to shake and you reciprocate, shaking his hand.

"I'm Trader Joe. And just like Trader Joe's, I can get you quality stuff for cheap. In this case, free since the UN pays for it." he says, "So take whatever you like and need."

Genji motions you to go inside and pick out your weapons as he goes to grab his own, a Mk48 machine gun. You look around and decide to settle on the suppressed FN SCAR-H for your primary weapon and an H&K VP9 for your sidearm.

"Ah, a DM, huh? I should've figured." Trader Joe said.

You nod your head at that.

"Well then those are both fine choices. That SCAR-H will serve you well, as I'm sure you already know since you've probably trained with them by now."

He then reached under the counter and pulled out 6 SCAR magazines and 4 VP9 magazines and slid them towards you.

"Here's the mags. You'll have to load them up in the room over. I just have the weapons here."

"Come on, Viper. Let's go." Genji says.

You follow after him, waving 'bye' to Trader Joe and then going to the ammo room. Inside, Widowmaker is also there loading up her magazines as well. You look away from her and pulled out the ammo cans with 7.62x51mm NATO and 9mm stamped on them. Then, you begin loading your magazines one at a time, a bullet at a time. Widowmaker, whom had previously been caught up in loading up her magazines with .338 Lapua, looked up when she heard the clicking of you beginning to load up.

"A SCAR Heavy? Do you think you're some kind of sniper?" Widowmaker jeered.

"Relax, Widowmaker. Leave Viper alone." Genji told her as he went to look for the ammo belts for his Mk48.

"You on Viper's side now, Genji?"

"No, I just don't want to hear you run your mouth." Genji shot back.

"Hah." Widowmaker chuckled.

She turned her attention back to you.

"Well have fun with your little glorified assault rifle." she says, "Because the difference between you and I is that I'm the real deal. I'm a real sniper; you're just a glorified grunt. So just stay out of my way, rookie."

You look over at her and give her a hard glare. Widowmaker stood her ground and just smirked at you. You look back down and just decide to concentrate on loading up your mags instead of paying Widow any mind. She finished up loading her magazines and then took them, passing by you and shoulder checking you hard. You give her an incredulous look and she holds her arms out.

"What? Try me, rookie! Swing!" she urged as she gets up in your face.

You puff out your chest and size her up.

"Go ahead! Hit me! Fucking do it! Hit me right here!" she shouts as she taps the side of her head.

"That's enough!" Genji boomed as he stepped in between you two and shoved Widowmaker hard.

"Get out of here, Widowmaker! You're done! Go wait in the heli!" he ordered sternly, pointing to the door, "Go on! Get!"

Widowmaker lets out a small chuckle and just looks you up and down.

"Know your place, rookie."

You clench your fist at that and have a burning desire to drive your fist into her temple and show her what you're made of but you show mature restraint. You resolve to prove her your worth on the battlefield; that would be the best way to prove someone like her that she was the idiot for ever doubting you or your abilities. You jump a little as you feel Genji's hand rest on your shoulder but then quickly relax.

"Don't let her get to you, Viper. Like I said, Widowmaker can be difficult. But don't stoop to her level because that just makes you the asshole and you're the one that will get shit-canned since you're the FNG." Genji tells you, "Just wait until the mission to prove yourself. A good performance will shut her up real quick."

You take in a long breath and then let it out, nodding your head at that. He pats your shoulder and lets you get back to work. You finish loading your last mag just as Genji let out an enthusiastic 'yatta!' when he found his ammo belts. He looked over at you and saw that you're done.

"Ah, have you been waiting for me?" he asked, rubbing the back of his head.

You shake your head 'no'.

"Oh, good." he said, "Well, come on, get squared away and let's get to the heli. We still have a few minutes left before we take off."

You stuff your magazines into their respective pouches and make sure everything's in working order. Genji then leads you out and you two make your way outside where the heli was preparing for takeoff. You see Widomaker sitting on the edge of the heli, earbuds in her ears and her foot tapping to the beat of the music, her Sako TRG-42 resting in her lap. You just ignore her. You're not trying to get into an altercation with your brand new team mate, no matter how much you want to. Luckily for you, she ignores you as well though she and Genji bump fists.

"Where's Tracer?" Genji asked her.

"Don't know. She should be here any moment."

You look over and see Tracer making her way over, her M320-equipped H&K 416 hanging off her chest and a Sig P226 in her drop-leg. You point at her. Genji followed the direction of your finger and spotted her as well.

"Speak of the devil."

"Alright, everybody in!" Tracer said.

All four of you get completely into the helicopter and Tracer slid the door closed once everyone was inside and patted the pilot on the shoulder to let them know that everyone was in and to take off. He fired up the rotors and then they were off.

The ride over to the LZ would take about 2 hours, most of which were spent in silence; Widowmaker was napping while Genji was meditating. Tracer spent most of it flipping between a map and a notepad and you just kind of sit there awkwardly wondering when the ride was going to be over. Unfortunately though, as the helicopter got closer to its destination, your nerves start to act up.

" _Approaching LZ in 5 minutes_." the pilot said over comms.

Now your nerves really start running rampant. You start breathing deep as the LZ become visible in the distance. You jump a little when Widowmaker reaches out and smacks your shoulder.

"What's wrong, Viper? Nerves getting to you?" she jeered.

You nod your head in honesty.

"Well you'd better hold up your end or I'll put you down myself." she says to you.

You shake your head vigorously that you would never abandon the team. Widowmaker then let out a bellowing laugh.

"Relax, rookie. I'm just, eh, how you Americans say it; 'fucking with you'." she laughed.

You just shake your head. You're getting real tired of her antics.

"Hey, leave Viper alone. You had 'first mission' nerves too, Widow. Don't lie." Tracer shot back.

Tracer places her hand on your shoulder and squeezes it reassuringly as Widowmaker rolls her eyes and leans in towards Genji and says something in his ear before the two laugh. You look over at them for a moment and then back down at your rifle.

"Don't worry Viper, I remember my first mission, too. I'll never forget it. I was so scared I nearly pissed my trousers. No amount of training can prepare you for the feelings that arise when you know that there's a very real chance you'll come back in a body bag or in pieces." she says to you as you turn your gaze back towards her.

You shiver at the thought. She reaches into one of her pouches and then pulled out a stick of gum and holds it out to you. You look at it and then at her, visibly confused.

"Here, take this. I find it helps calm my nerves a little."

You reach out and hesitate for a moment before taking the stick of gum and then pulling the wrapper off and then stuffing the stick of gum in your mouth and begin chewing vigorously. It helps a little, but not nearly as much as you want it to, though it is your favourite flavour of gum, which is somewhat comforting.

The final seconds leading up to the LZ approach were probably the worst. You feel like your heart's about to pop out of your chest or explode from pounding so fast. You feel the helicopter stop and lower slightly. Tracer opens the door and then kicks the Fast Rope out, swinging her rifle behind her before descending down. Widowmaker was next sliding down the rope and then Genji motions you to go. You descend down the rope and draw your rifle at the low-ready as Genji descends down the rope. Once he was down, Tracer turned and and stared at the cockpit and raised her hand up and made circles, motioning the pilot that it was clear for them to take off. Everyone stayed stationary as the helicopter took off and didn't move until they it was completely out of sight and could no longer be heard.

"Comms check." Tracer says.

"I'm good." Genji says.

" _Oui_ , communications are online."

She then looks over at you. You fiddle with your radio a moment as you didn't hear anything in your earpiece.

"Viper? Your comms working?" she asks.

When she says that, you heard her over comms and then you look over and flash a thumbs up, signaling that you're good.

"Alright, let's move out."

All four of you stand up and make your way to the target.


	2. En Route

It was kind odd after the helicopter left, just how quiet it was. The only sounds that were around were the sounds of you and your team, more specifically the sound of boots walking and equipment shifting while moving. You unconsciously begin to chew on your piece of gum sporadically again as the relative silence was rather nerve-wrecking in and of itself.

"How far to the target?"

You jump a little as the sound of Widowmaker's voice cuts through the quiet.

"10 klicks." Tracer responded.

"Are we expecting heavy resistance?" Genji asked.

"Nothing out of the ordinary."

"That's what they always say." Widowmaker chimed in.

Genji and Tracer both let out a small chuckle at that because it was true. You chuckle as well as an automatic response to everyone else doing so and then Tracer turns back and looks at you.

"You havin' a giggle back there, love?" she says to you.

You look over at her and then stop chuckling, pulling on a straight face. Tracer lets out a small laugh and moves over to you and then reaches out and smacks the side of your arm.

"Relax, Viper. It's good to have a sense of humour in situations like these." Tracer tells you.

You nod your head at that.

"Don't take it too seriously. If you can't laugh in the face of death, then you're in the wrong profession." Genji tells you.

"What he said." Tracer added on.

"The rookie is in the wrong team; what makes you think he's in the right profession?" Widowmaker said with a smirk as she smacks your shoulder.

You look over at her and give her a look.

"Oi, quit being such a cunt, Widow." Tracer retorted.

"I'm just saying." Widowmaker responded with a chuckle.

"Don't listen to her, Viper." Tracer tells you.

You just shake your head as Widowmaker lets out another arrogant laugh. Tracer pats your shoulder and then moves to the front again. You always knew that there was that one asshole in a group. You'd just have to deal with it...at least until you proved her wrong and made her look like an idiot then you'd drill her about it and never let up. Tracer then held her hand up to stop everyone. Just ahead there was a section of open space where you'd all be completely exposed for about 300 metres. Tracer turned around.

"Alright, Viper and I will continue ahead. Widow, Genji, you two stay here and watch our asses until we get to the other side, then we'll watch yours."

Widow and Genji nodded before leaving to find a vantage point. Tracer then motions you to follow her and you two wait at the edge of the trees. You stare off in the distance before you're brought back when Tracer nudges you.

"Hey Viper, you alright?" she asks.

You nod your head at that.

"Seriously, don't let Widow get to you. She's just like that. She'll warm up to you in due time." Tracer says, "I wouldn't have pulled you onto the team if I felt the way she did."

You look at her a moment before Widowmaker interjects over the radio.

" _We found a good vantage point. You two are up._ "

Tracer looks over at you and then motions her to follow. You and Tracer make your way out of the trees and then stop a moment.

"Widow, confirm you have our position." Tracer said into the radio.

There was a pause before Widowmaker responded.

" _Affirmative. I have a fix on you two._ "

"Roger that. We'll let you know when we're on the other side."

Tracer then looked over at you and motioned you to follow. You two begin to make your way across the open field. The two of you constantly scan the area and move carefully. You can hear your own breathing and heart rate increasing as you and Tracer move across the field. You jump suddenly when Tracer lets out a small yelp and trips. She looks back at you when she regains her footing.

"Fucking rock." she snapped.

You can't help but laugh a little at that. Tracer looks over at you and laughs with you.

"It's not funny." she laughed.

You two calm down and then continue the rest of the way over with relative ease. Once on the other side, you two look for a good vantage point to look out for Widowmaker and Genji's crossing. After finding a good spot, you lie prone and look through your scope, adjusting the magnification.

"Alright you two, we found a good spot. Come out into the open so Viper can get a fix on you two."

" _Rodger._ " came Widowmaker.

There's a moment of silence as the two make their way out in the open.

" _We've come out. Do you have our position?_ "

You look around a bit before you find them and then flash a thumbs up to Tracer.

"Viper's got you. You're clear to move."

" _Roger that. Moving out._ "

You scan the area around them to make sure they have a clear path. So far, so good. However, as they were crossing the small road, Tracer suddenly grabs your attention by giving you a small shake. You pull your head away from the scope and look at her. She points off in the distance.

"Hey, you see that?"

You look in the direction she was pointing and see a truck rolling down the road. You nod your head at that. Tracer immediately gets on the radio.

"Be advised you two; there's a truck heading in your direction. You two had better get behind the bushes until it passes."

" _Shit. Rodger._ "

"Fix on the truck." Tracer tells you.

You get behind the scope again and redirect your attention to the truck and watch it come down the road. It seems to just be cruising by however, it stops close to the bush that Widowmaker is hiding in. You suck in a breath at that and watch as a man with an AK-47 comes out of the truck.

"Widow, be advised; enemy tango has exited the vehicle and making his way to your position. Don't fucking move." Tracer says over the radio.

You watch as he walks up to the bush. Your finger wraps around the trigger and you slowly begin to squeeze but Tracer places her hand on your shoulder.

"Wait. Hold your fire."

You remove your finger from the trigger when she says that. You watch him and he begins to unzip his pants to pee. You see Widowmaker through your scope; she was cringing as he begins to urinate on the bush she was hiding in. You hold back a laugh at her misfortune. It'd be funnier if it wasn't so serious.

"Don't. Move." Tracer whispered into comms.

The man must've really had to go because he peed a lot before finally pulling his pants back up and then going back into the truck and driving off. Once the truck was long gone, both you and Tracer let out a sigh of relief.

"Alright, you two are clear. Keep on moving."

You watch as Widowmaker jumps out of the bush and checks herself to see if she got pee on her. Genji, who had hid in the bush behind her, laughed and pulled her to keep moving.

"Oooh, I think she got pissed on." Tracer chuckles to you.

You can't help but laugh at that. You watch them as they make their way up to your treeline and then once they're in, you get back up on your feet and you two go to meet up with Widowmaker and Genji. When you regroup, Widowmaker is still looking herself over, complaining vehemently.

"There's fucking piss on me!" Widowmaker exclaimed.

You, Tracer and Genji burst out laughing when she said that, her accent making it even funnier.

" _Nom de dieu de putain de bordel de merde de saloperie de connard d'enculé de ta mère!_ " she snarled

"Hey, don't get so pissed." Tracer poked.

"Fuck you!" Widow shot back.

"Hey, no need to get pissy!" Genji said.

"Shut up! Shut the fuck up!"

You just laugh. Widowmaker then walks over to you and shoves you hard.

"And you! Why didn't you take him out you fucking…!"

But she was cut off when Tracer shoved her hard back.

"He was going to but I gave him the order not to fire."

"Why?!"

"And risk giving our position away? No thank you. You're fine, Widow. You just have some piss on you; hardly worse than giving our position away prematurely."

"Unbelieveable…" Widowmaker spat as she shook her head.

"Buck up, Widow. Don't be mad karma made its way right back 'round." Tracer sneered.

Widowmaker suddenly punched Tracer in the side of the head, making Tracer double over. Genji quickly restrained Widowmaker when she did that.

"Hey! Calm down!" Genji barked at her.

Tracer shook her head and rubbed the side of her face and looked over at Widowmaker. You sense that she's about to retaliate and you hold her back just as she begins to make a move. Tracer resists against you, trying to get back at Widowmaker but you hold her back firmly. Widowmaker also tries to break from Genji but he holds her firm as well. You and Genji hold the two back until they seem to calm down enough to not want to throw down with one another.

"If Viper took that guy out like he was going to and you wanted him to, then it would've given away our position and we all would've been dead or a failed mission at best and getting a little piss on you would be the least of your worries." Tracer said to her as she pointed at her, "So, you're welcome."

Widowmaker just scoffed at that. Tracer touched the side of her head again and she winced a bit, knowing there was going to be bruising there. You place your hand on her shoulder and she looks at you, a small, appreciative smile on her face.

"I'm fine, Viper. Thank you." she says, "Let's just move out."

All four of you begin moving out again. Genji makes his way over to you and leans in closer.

"Hey, don't let what you just saw back there affect you. Like I told you earlier, they have a rivalry thing going on, but at the end of the day, they're still like sisters. And just like real siblings, half the time they don't know if they want to kill each other and the other half of the time they're about ready to kill each other." he explains, "But at the end of the day, they'd fight anyone who challenged the other. It's not unusual for the two to fist fight each other until they're bruised and bloodied and then the next hour they're laughing, drinking tea and talking about how stupid what they were fighting over was."

You nod your head in understanding, having an older sister back home yourself and recounting the seemingly infinite number of times you wanted to rip her head off but then in the same breath, remember how many times you wanted to rip the head off of the guy she was dating because he hurt her in some way or how many times she had your back in situations that would've been really shitty if you had to face it yourself.

The rest of the way was in relative silence, but along the way, Widowmaker did apologise to Tracer for her outburst. It was rather nice to see Widowmaker displaying concern that she hurt Tracer and Tracer replying with "it hurt more when my grandma tried to kill a mosquito that landed on me". You can't help but chuckle at it; like true siblings they were. Tracer stopped the group once you were at the edge of a ridge overlooking the small village that was to be infiltrated.

"That's it. Just over yonder." Tracer said, pointing at the village.

"It looks abandoned." Widowmaker said.

"It is. Except for the enemy element, that is." Tracer said, "It was abandoned years ago but local warlords and drug dealers eventually found it and repurposed it."

"Isn't that the problem of entities like the DEA?" she asked, looking over at Tracer, "Why don't they just send a FAST team and be done with it?"

"Normally, that's what would happen. But this group got its hands on some highly sensitive equipment."

"That being?" Genji asked.

Tracer looked over at him.

"A tactical nuke."

The three of you gasped at the same time. Tracer nodded her head.

"Yeah." she said, "So that's why we're here."

"Rules of engagement?" Widowmaker asked.

"Retrieve the nuke at all costs." Tracer responded.

"Just the way I like it." Genji replied.

" _Magnifique_."

"Now we don't know where the nuke is or the contingency size of the enemy force, so we have to take it easy and go house by house." Tracer said, "So unless any of you have any more questions, let's get to work."

She looked around and no one had any more questions, except maybe 'when do we start'.

"No questions?"

The three of you shook your heads and said 'no'.

"Alright, let's do work." she said, "Widow, find a good vantage point here. We'll let you know when we're at the edge of the village."

"Affirmative."

Widowmaker bumped fists and exchanged a "fuck shit up" with Tracer and Genji but ignored you and then left to find a good vantage point while Tracer motioned you and Genji to follow her climbing down the ridge. You sigh and shake your head at Widow ignoring you; you felt it was kind of bullshit that she'd punch Tracer in the face and then apologise later and act normal but she still insisted that you were a stupid rookie and ignored you. You almost called her out on it but just decide to drop it and move out. The mission was much more important.

It took about 20 minutes to get to the bottom of the ridge and to the edge of the village. The three of you stopped and then formed a circle as Tracer began drawing in the dirt the basic layout of the village.

"Alright, so here's the plan." she said as she continued drawing in the dirt, "We're going to clear houses in a zig-zag."

She then draws of to the side.

"Viper, you're going to take a vantage point somewhere that overlooks these areas and keep our 6's clean." she says to you, "And when we finish with a row, you'll need to relocate to a new vantage point that overlooks the next row."

You nod your head at that.

"I know we have Widow overlooking the whole thing but she won't be able to see certain parts of the village and that's where you come in, so you need to make sure you always have a clear view of the area Genji and I are sweeping so that you can take care of the areas Widow can't, got it?"

You nod your head again.

"Good." she says "Now let's keep this as quiet as we can. Enemies are expendable but let's try to avoid drawing attention to ourselves if we can."

"Good thing I thought to bring that Sig Sauer can." Genji said as he took his pack off, reached into it and pulled out a quick-attach silencer that he fixed to the barrel of his Mk48.

"Smart idea." Tracer said, "Alright, we ready to rock?"

You and Genji nod.

"Alright, let's do this."

She then destroyed the drawing in the dirt and the three of you get up and get to work. You head off to find a good vantage point while Tracer and Genji make their way to the first house. You find a good spot and then set up shop just as Tracer and Genji stack up at the door of the first house.

" _Widow, you got a fix on us?_ " Tracer said over comms.

" _Affirmative. Widowmaker sees all._ "

" _Perfect._ "

" _Just watch yourselves; once you go inside, I can't see shit._ " Widowmaker warned.

" _Roger that. We'll make it quick and clean._ "

Tracer then looks at you off in the distance and then flashes a thumbs up. You reciprocate, flashing a thumbs up back. Right after you do that, Tracer kicks the door in and she and Genji storm into the house.


	3. Drive

" _Clear! Move to next house!_ " came Tracer's voice over the radio.

At the point, Tracer and Genji had cleared most of the houses in the village. So far, all of them have been clear with no signs of resistance or the nuke.

" _You haven't had any signs of the nuke yet?_ " Widowmaker asked.

" _Negative. All houses have been clear thus far._ "

" _Merde…_ " Widowmaker muttered,

" _Do you think maybe it was moved somewhere else?_ " Genji asked.

" _I sure as hell hope not._ " Tracer replied.

You watch through your scope as they kick in the door to the next house and disappear into it to clear it. You're also beginning to wonder if perhaps they were anticipated and moved the nuke to a different location. As you were thinking that, Widowmaker broke the silence on the radio.

" _Rookie, look to your left down the road. Do you see that?_ " she tells you.

You move your attention to where Widowmaker directed you and saw that there was a truck making its way down the road that looked suspiciously similar to the one that came across earlier.

" _Tracer, there's a truck making its way in your direction. I think it might be the same one from earlier._ " Widowmaker said over the radio.

" _What the hell?_ " Tracer replied, " _Standby._ "

There's a short bout of silence before Tracer breaks through the radio again.

" _That's an affirmative on it being the truck from earlier._ " she said, " _Viper, Widow, fix on the truck. We're going to ambush them. Both of you hold your fire though. I have some questions for them._ "

" _Understood._ " Widowmaker replied.

You fix on the truck and follow it down the road, your crosshair firmly placed on and following the driver, your other hand on your scope and steadily adjusting magnification as the truck came closer. Suddenly, you see it slow down and stop because of an obstacle in the way, likely placed by Tracer. The driver gets out of the car to clear the block. You hold your breath, not knowing who to fix on, but settling on the passenger still sitting in the truck. You watch as the scene unfolds; Tracer moved to the side of the truck as the driver moved the block and then just as he finished up, she shoved him to the ground and held him up. Genji then popped out from the side of the house and held up the passenger and ordered him out, having him lay on the ground next to the driver. Tracer and Genji both flexi-cuffed their captives and began interrogating them. After some time, they both strike the captives at the back of their heads to knock them out and then they dragged them into one of the houses before coming back out.

" _Alright, we have the new location of the nuke. Looks like they were expecting us._ " Tracer said, " _Regroup on us. We're taking the truck to the new location as it's 35 klicks away._ "

" _Understood. I'm making my way to you now._ " Widowmaker said.

You get back onto your feet and then make your way over to the truck.

"How the hell did they know we were coming?" Tracer mused aloud.

"There has to be someone on the inside that let them know. How the hell else would they know about something like this?" Genji responded.

"But who on the inside?"

"Your guess is just as good as mine."

"For fuck's sake…" Tracer exhaled, shaking her head.

Tracer then looks over at you and moves to you, placing her hand on your shoulder and giving you a soft shake.

"How you holding up, champ?"

You nod your head.

"Good. But don't get too comfortable; this mission is about to get a whole lot more interesting."

You nod your head again at that. Tracer then pulls out her map again and looks it over with Genji, taking about possible routes to take to get to their new location. By chance, you happen to look at the map as the two are talking about possible routes. You wonder if you should say anything and decide to do so. You step up to the map and run your finger over a shorter and safer route that avoids the known hot spots marked on the map.

"Hey, that's actually a good idea." Genji said.

"Yeah. Good job, Viper."

"It does add some additional risk to the trip though and requires us to backtrack; who knows if there's anyone back there that's unaccounted for." Genji said.

"True, but I think this is our best bet. I'm on board with Viper on this one." Tracer told him.

"I trust your judgement, Tracer. I just want to put it all on the table for consideration." 

"I know, Genji. I appreciate it."

All three of you jump a little and spin around, pointing your weapons in the bushes when you all heard rustling. However, Widowmaker popped out of the bushes and you all lowered your weapons.

"Hey, am I late?" Widowmaker joked.

"Just in time." Tracer said, "Alright Widow, get in. Viper, you're with me in the bed of the truck. Genji, you're behind the wheel. Let's get the fuck out of here."

"Let's do it." Genji nodded.

You and Tracer climb into the bed of the truck while Genji and Widowmaker get inside. Tracer positioned herself on the driver's corner while you set yourself up in the passenger side. With that, Tracer banged on the side of the truck to signal Genji they were in and they were off. The first half of the ride was in relative silence; you and Tracer continuously scanned the area to make sure you weren't being followed. So far so good until you heard a helicopter in the background.

"Who. The fuck. Is that?" Tracer said as she looked over in the distance.

She then looked over at you and then motions with her head to lay down.

"Get down." she says to you.

The two of you press your backs into the bed of the truck and remain motionless as the helicopter flies overhead. The two of you continue laying down until it disappears before Tracer gets back up. You follow suit and the two of you retake your positions at the corners.

"Stay frosty, Viper. I didn't like that one bit."

Neither did you. You become extra alert as the truck cruises down the road at a steady pace. Everything seems to be okay at first, but then you hear something off in the distance. It kind of sounded like...a car. You look off in the distance in the woods and spot what looks like an SUV making its way to you. You reach over and smack Tracer on the shoulder to get her attention and then point over where you see the SUV making its way to the truck, at high speed. Tracer's eyes bug wide open.

"Oh shit…"

She then bangs on the side of the truck again and motions Genji to speed up.

"Genji, go faster! We've been spotted!"

" _Ku…_!" he snapped.

He began to speed up just as the SUV made its way onto the road with the truck. The windows and sunroof of the SUV opened and then men wielding AK-47s, Uzi's and MAC-11's popped out and opened fire.

"Fuckin' hell!" Tracer exclaimed as the two of you took cover behind the walls of the truck as bullets flew in your direction.

You being hyperventilating; this is the first time you've ever been shot at with the intention of being killed and it was a hell of a lot more frightening than you'd ever imagined, and that's saying something because you had a hell of an imagination about what it was like to be shot at. Tracer kicks you from across the bed to get your attention.

"Buck up, cowboy! Let's give it to 'em!" she tells you before popping up and opening fire on the SUV.

From inside the truck, Widowmaker drew her Glock 19 and opened the window, popping out and returning fire as well. You take a few deep breaths before popping back up from cover and opening fire on them as well. You fix on the driver and squeeze the trigger, but just as the trigger reached its breaking point, Genji swerved suddenly to avoid something, throwing both of you to the side and colliding into each other. You both shake your heads. Tracer looks over at you.

"You solid?"

You nod your head at that, trying to control your breathing. She pats your shoulder and then the two of you take your positions at the corners again.

"Hey! Keep 'er steady!" Tracer shouted back to Genji.

"I'm trying!" Genji said.

That was when a man with an RPG popped up from the sunroof.

"RPG! RP-FUCKING-G!" Tracer shouted.

" _Putain de merde!_ " Widowmaker shouted as well, retracting back into the truck

Genji looked into the rearview mirror and then swerved hard to the side as the rocket was fired. The rocket impacted a metre away from the side of the truck and that along with the fact that he swerved to the side put the truck on two wheels for a second before Genji regained control of the vehicle and straightened it out. However, since you weren't prepared for that, you get thrown out of the side of the truck and grip on the edge of the truck just in the nick of time. You kick your feet, trying to avoid getting your leg caught between the tire and road and getting pulled under the truck as Tracer reaches over and begins to pull you up, selflessly exposing herself to fire as she tries to get you back inside.

"Second rocket incoming!" Widowmaker called out.

"Swerve right! Swerve right!" Tracer ordered.

Genji swerves right and the rocket flies mere centimetres from you and hits the ground off in the distance. Tracer uses the momentum to yank you back into the truck.

"You alright, Viper?" she asks you.

You nod your head as you try to catch your breath.

"Good! Fucking hold on next time!"

"Tracer! Take those fuckers out! This truck won't hold up much longer!" Genji called from the driver's seat.

Right when he said that, one of the tyres gets shot out and the truck swerves slightly, knocking you and Tracer to the side again. Genji manages to regain control of the truck.

"TRACER!" he screams.

She then pops back up and faces the SUV again as her support hand travels to grip the M320 launcher and she takes aim, holding her breath.

"Eat this, ya bastards!"

You then hear the hollow 'thunk' of the launcher firing and then the explosion of the truck as the 40mm HE round hits the SUV right in the engine bay and gets blown off the road. All 4 of you cheer as you all speed off, leaving the burning wreckage behind. Tracer lets out a sigh of relief as she leans back against the wall of the truck. She peers over at you again as you plop down across from her.

"Hey." she said, "You alright?"

You looked over at her and nod your head.

"Good. I need you at 100%, Viper. I don't make me save your ass again, understood? Pay better attention to what's going on."

You slowly nod your head at that, feeling like a moron for what happened earlier. Genji drives a little further before Tracer hits the side of the truck again.

"Hey, stop the truck." she said.

He slows down and pulls off to the side to stop. She stands up and looks down the cliff to the small industrial area that was their new target. She then looks over at Widowmaker and motions her to get out, which she does.

"Whaddaya think, Widow? This a good spot?"

Widowmaker looks around and then nods her head.

" _Oui_ , this is a good spot. I'll set up shop here."

"Alright. Stay safe." Tracer says to her.

The two bump fists before Widowmaker looks at you and chortles.

"Ah, and make sure the child doesn't get himself killed yet again, yeah?"

You just shake your head at that.

"Viper'll be fine. Just had a mishap. We've all had them."

"Whatever you say."

"Damn right."

Widowmaker laughs at that and then waves as she goes to find a good spot to watch over you three. Tracer then sits back down in the bed of the truck and hits the side once more.

"Let's get the fuck out of here." she says to Genji.

Genji just nods his head and then you three were off to reach the small industrial area. It was a rather direct drive from the point that you were just at and didn't take too long to get there. Once you were close enough, Genji parked the truck off the side of the road and the three of you exit the truck and make the rest of your way on foot. Once you were at the edge of the area, Tracer radios Widowmaker.

"Widow, what's it looking like?" she asked.

" _This place is much more heavily guarded. This will be a bit of a bitch to navigate._ "

"Fuck…" Tracer cursed under her breath.

"Roger that. We'll be careful."

" _Good luck out there._ "

"Thanks. We'll stay in touch."

She then turns and looks at you and Genji and then motions you two with her head to move out.

"Alright, let's get this over with." she said, "Let's try to keep this clean and quiet."

But somewhere deep down inside, you had a bad feeling in your gut but decide to shake it off and focus on the mission at hand.


End file.
